


décès

by eunhyeo



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Major Character Undeath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 01:52:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6218890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eunhyeo/pseuds/eunhyeo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>it becomes a cycle of life and death and life<br/>until it's almost natural to see them lying there like rag-dolls<br/>natural to see them stand up again and ignore the wounds that had disappeared</p><p>AU where they die<br/>but Ladybug fixes it all again</p><p>(no real pairings)</p>
            </blockquote>





	décès

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry i can't seem to write happy things  
> but i finally watched jackady and i couldn't help but wonder what might've happened if his cards had hit them  
> [on tumblr](http://kat-eunhyeo.tumblr.com/post/140846662926/d%C3%A9c%C3%A8s)  
> 

The first time, she doesn't understand.

She's pulled Timebreaker away from Ivan, only for the string connecting them to trip her. There's a moment of disorientation, where the world spins and the wind is knocked out of her lungs, and the ringing in her head's barely stopped when suddenly Chat is in front of her, his arms holding her close. She doesn't understand what's happening for a second, doesn't understand until she sees Timebreaker smirk, and even then it doesn't fully register.

Even when he's fading, when he's gone, she doesn't get a chance to think it through, because then Timebreaker's going back and then she is too and Chat Noir is there so it's okay. They get rid of the akuma and save the day, and then everything returns to normal.

Everything's fine.

-

The second time, it's Chloe.

The Evillustrator's standing in front of her, and she's running on pure adrenaline now, letting instinct dictate her movements as she dodges the boxer gloves sent her way. Her yo-yo bounces uselessly off a transparent barrier, and she hardly has enough time to create a shield when he sends a saw blade spinning her way. For a second, she can feel the friction and the weight pushing up against her, and then suddenly it's gone, shooting off towards Chloe.

It happens in a second. There's a scream, and there's blood, and then Chloe is gone.

Not gone. Dead.

She doesn't get the chance to let that sink in, because the Evillustrator's still coming at her, his movements jerkier than before. He's arguing with himself, with Hawkmoth, and she doesn't let herself think of anything but the akuma until the fight is over.

Only then does she force herself to look back, expecting to see the gruesome sight from before. But Chloe, just like everything else, is mended and whole, sitting in the corner with a dazed look.

It doesn't make sense. It doesn't. For a moment, she can almost pretend that nothing had happened, that her death had been a mere illusion.

But then she sees Chat's eyes, and she knows that the look of disbelief on his face mirrors her own.

She runs away before time runs out.

-

The third time, it's her.

Animan has shifted into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and they're the only ones standing in his way. She's holding a car jack, and the idea takes root in her head, something ridiculous and crazy and stupid but it has to work, right? And that desperation turns into a kind of confidence, until she's sure that this is the only way. She doesn't give herself any more time to think, any chance to hesitate, before she's sprinting as fast as she can towards the dinosaur.

Leaping into its mouth is suicidal, but she does, so sure that she'll succeed....

And then she hears an awful crunch and she's screaming and it's going wrong, horribly horribly wrong and-

everything's a blur it hurts it hurts so much she can't move she can't speak there's darkness only darkness and she's going to die she's going to die she's going to

There's a blinding light and suddenly she's staring into green eyes, and she tries to smile but it hurts so she lays there instead. His eyes are wide and he's yelling something but she can't hear and she holds the car jack out and mouths the words and then she's gone.

She dies.

It's only for a second, but she knows she dies. She felt it- felt everything disappear for a moment. Different from falling unconscious, different from sleep. It was death.

But then the next second she's alive again, sitting up and feeling better than she had this morning.

It's almost enough for her to believe that it was a dream, but the memories of bleeding out and everything being twisted in the wrong way and being broken are still there. They linger just behind her thoughts, whispering everything she doesn't want to think about into her ears.

"I died," she whispers, and Chat lunges forward, pulling her into a hug.

-

The fourth time, Chat is hit by Jackady's pitch black card. She barely dodges it, turning just in time to see him collapse on the ground. She fights the instinct to run to his side to confirm what she already knows.

She beats the villain and purifies the akuma, and when everything is fixed he is too.

-

The fifth time is almost natural, and by the sixth time she's used to it.

Her partner dies before her eyes over and over and over again. He comes back to life just as many times.

Citizens are crushed in the streets, and hostages are pushed off roofs. She watches them stand up as if nothing had ever happened.

It reaches the point where she can hardly remember how many times people had died, how many times she had failed to save them. Though, she reasoned, if they were still alive, it didn't matter, did it?

(Sometimes, she's scared of her own apathy. Her nightmares reaffirm her humanity.)

Ladybug becomes used to the red. Marinette never does.

Ladybug becomes what Paris needs.

She repeats this to herself when they confront Hawkmoth, ignoring her uneasiness.

_Ladybug's what Paris needs. This is what Paris needs._

She lunges forward.

-

Tikki dies.

Marinette is lying on the ground, her lips stained red and crimson blossoming through her shirt. She's cradling her kwami in her hands, and she's so so tired....

Chat- no, Adrien- is curled up beside her, eyes closed and cold to the touch. She turns her head away.

She tries to sit up, tries to reach for the ribbon lying on the ground. It's slick with blood, but she manages to pick it up, fingers curling weakly around it.

"Mir... a... culous..." she whispers. "Miracu... lous... Lady..."

Marinette isn't needed. Marinette isn't enough.

The ribbon slips out of her hand, and blue eyes close.


End file.
